Located in the seaside area of Victor Harbor, Fleurieu Aquatic Centre opened its doors to the community on 25 March 2017, providing the region’s rapidly growing population with a new community focus for recreation, fitness and leisure.

The $21M centre included lap, multi-use and rehabilitation pools, an outdoor splash pad, fitness facilities, a café and family-focused BBQ and picnic areas.

The Fleurieu Aquatic Centre concept

Inspired by the local indigenous story of Kondili, the whale.

In this story, four friends are attacked and retreat to the sea to become four sea creatures. This is manifested in the pool through four key spaces (pool hall, warm water pool, community facilities/multipurpose and administration/services spine) representing each creature (Hames Sharley, 2018).

Our SA team was engaged by the head contractor, Kennett Builders, to construct the centre’s hard and soft scapes. Soft scaping elements included 2600m2 instant turf, 4500m2 irrigated garden beds and the planting of 17,000 plants.

The team also constructed hardscaping elements such as timber logs and boulders for the playground and rock-lined bioswales to filter and improve the quality of stormwater run-off.

Testament to the success of the project, Fleurieu Aquatic Centre has been nominated for a Master Landscapers of South Australia 2018 Award of Excellence.